Well my first thing i would do is probe more by asking questions. Even though it may help
the non profit by reducing losses and giving a effiecnt usage of supplies i feel this would be
something that needs to be cleard by a manager. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable
making the decision alone. I do feel like that a different way to record the excess should be
talked about because I feel the books should reflect exactly what is happening with supplies
for future purches to see if we need to purchase less or more. The books should reflect what
the organization is using directly not giving away. Now if they were to do a donation of the
sore then i feel like other steps should be taken for that and the supplies should of been
bought for that context. If I was asked by a coworker to adjust the records so that way we
could use the extra supplies and an event put on by the company. I would have to see with
my supervisor if it was something done in the past or just common practice to make sure I
wouldn’t be breaking any rules. I know from past experiences in the military we would use
funds from our budget to plan training operations in a different quarter or fiscal year to make
sure we were not on a time constraint later on. So I would be open to the request as long as
I wasn’t the highest “ok” in the chain of command and it wouldn’t fall solely on me if things
were done incorrectly. To add to it as well if the request list was item that made sense to
order that would really be used at said event. I wouldn’t just ok extra random items like 50
extra brooms or 20 extra tables when I know they can not be used correctly. If my coworker
requests to have me adjust the records so these supplies could be used at the nonprofit, I
would have to definitely start asking questions before agreeing to it. I would need to make
sure that it is being used for what it said. I would ensure that it is an approved thing we can
do within the company, and that it follows proper procedures when being tracked in the
records. I would make sure that it is done by the books because if it is not and not used for
the nonprofit or not used correctly, it could be considered stealing. I do not want to be
wrapped up in a sandal of any kind. As the accountant, I need to ensure my job is completed
to the best of my abilities as it is very important for numbers and records to be accurate. If
all documentation is presented and it turns out to be a reasonable and legit request that lines
up with the values and procedures of the company I would do it. If it does not, I would
explain to my coworker that I can not do so and I would move the request up higher if
needed. would personally talk with the co-worker and let him know that the company most
likely does have a contributions budget that they use to provide specific charities with items
or grants. I would ask them if they have gone through the process to see if this particular non
profit was one that the company wanted to contribute to in that a lot of times there are
company polices where they won't donate to ones that are tied to employees and things since
it may show up as favoritism. If he says no, then I would explain the importance of that
process and tell him that he should get it on the list for review with that committee to see if
he can get the supplies donated and at that time we would account for it.
If he or she said that they did approve it and just needed it accounted for, I would say, that's
great, but we need to account for it in a different manner. We will account for the office
supplies used by the company as a supplies expense and credit the supplies inventory for
those and then we will credit the rest of the supplies inventory for what is going to the not
for profit and expense our contributions account. This way we have visibility for tax and
other reasons on what we are contributing. Most companies have a specific budget on what
they donate every year and this needs to be reflected in that budget and thus needs to be
accounted for in the proper manner.
"Managers across the country dread the call from accounting at this time of year — we need
your accruals. Many managers feel that the process of putting together their accruals is
tedious, and, dare we say, a waste of time. They wonder, “Why does accounting need this
information? Is this another piece of information that goes into the black hole of a
spreadsheet, never to be seen again?”
Accruals, especially at this time of year, are critical to good accounting. They help to ensure
you have good information about the financial health of your company. And, they help to
keep the books “clean,” that is, keeping things that happened in 2009 in 2009 so that the
picture your company presents with its financials tells the 2009 story in its entirety. I am all
for helping non-profit organizations, as long as the action aligns with company policies and
procedures. Falsifying records to acquire extra supplies is a compliance and ethics infraction
and should be dealt with accordingly. This would be a fire able offense at the company I
work for. I would refuse the request, review the company policy with the employee making
the request, and report this to my manager, and also with our compliance and ethics hotline.
it’s quite possible that the employee had good intentions and were unaware of the policy,
standard, or violation, however, it is important that they understand the consequences and
policy. It may need to be communicated to all employees for better awareness and adherence
to company policy. I would not do as my coworker requested because recording larger
supplies adjustment compared to what is leftover so the extra supplies can be used at a
nonprofit organization, to me sounds like stealing. Although it is for a good cause
manipulating records is unethical because if one were to get caught by superiors, they would
see that as stealing and their job could be at stake.
This incorrect recording will make the books show the incorrect number of supplies that is
actually being used. To cover up this overage by making up other expenses is also unethical.
I wouldn’t want to be the person responsible for incorrect books, so after denying the request
I would recommend that they speak to someone of upper management to get the okay to
order the additional supplies. If it is done the correct way all the supplies can be accounted
for. If the charge is approved, I would then order the additional supplies. From there we can
come up with agreement of what the company should order monthly for non-profits. Based
on what extra supplies the company has left over, that supplies could be used as well and
help the company cut down on its losses. I think as much as a nonprofit organization may
need the extra supplies, I don't think that no person should do anything to put there job or
company in jeopardy of anything. For myself, I wouldn't do as my co-worker requested to
help give the nonprofit organization can have these extra supplies. By a co-worker asking
someone to make a false report by making a record larger with supplies then making the
right notation on the report. If a person would lie on a report for a co-worker and is willing
to cover up someone's activity then who knows what they are really willing to do. Now
some people will have different opinions about this because they would see the said of how
it was good that the individual to those extra supplies and used it for the nonprofit
organization. I do myslef feel like it is always good to help out a nonprofit organization in
the right ways, but not by lying or stealing from someone or from a company. Those people
that were involved in making false reports would definitely be in trouble if someone found
out. Many companies approve a budget for the upcoming calendar or fiscal year. This helps
them stay within the approved limits, save money, keep track of how much is left for
additional expenses, and to gauge future needs. Past usage is a huge factor in determining
future budget estimates.
What is being requested in the scenario above seems unethical to say the least and I might
even guess that it can be considered theft if it was not approved by owners, council, or
management. Those supplies are owned by the business and even if they were approved to
be donated to a non-profit organization, recording the transaction as indicated above is not
the correct manner. Donations to an entity or Individual should still be expensed by the
business. Also, the organization runs the risk of depleting their supplies sooner than
anticipated. They will most likely have to appropriate funds for the purchase of additional
supplies. Consequently, doing what the coworker asked will negatively impact the cash,
expense, and supplies accounts as it will fail to provide accurate accounting.
I would not help the coworker with their request but would question them to see if they
understand why their would be a problem. If they don't comprehend, perhaps additional
training is necessary. The supplies adjustment is an record keeping for the company to see
how much utilization of supplies are used each month, this record keeping is ultimately used
for future office supplies procurement. If this is overstated in one month it impacts the
forecast for the future. Although the coworker is making the request to help a non profit and
it may feel charitable this request is still dishonest and is considered stealing. I am sure the
company has other more honest ways to ask for the company’s support of a nonprofit. If I
was asked to overstate the office supplies I would not do it as it could cost me my job. And,
it is completely dishonest. Although I would decline the request because it goes against
company policy and my own personal moral compass I would see if there were other ways
we could help the nonprofit organization. At my company we are able to submit requests
through our Philanthropic committee to ask for support for various organizations which is
nice to have a process in place to ask for help. If a co-worker were to ask me to record larger
supplies adjustments, I would decline their request. It would be nice to help the nonprofit
organization but only if the company was their own business. It would not be right to help
the nonprofit without a manager’s directive or approval. If my coworker feels as if this
nonprofit really needs the supplies, then they should find another alternative to help them
out. This would be brought up to a manager’s attention, so they are aware in case this
coworker decides to go and ask someone else for this request. But they should not use the
companies supplies without a manager’s approval. Taking request from a coworker that has
to do with the company’s supplies or financials is something I cannot comply with. These
types of coworkers might be testing you to see how much they can get away with and taking
advantage of your kindness. Working with the company’s financials I like to make sure
everything balances out or that if supplies stock is low, I like to have backup of where the
items were distributed in case it is questioned. I would not comply with my coworkers
request to adjust the office supply records. By manipulating the the accounting records, you
are going against company policies and your own morals. The supplies are for the office,
and unless it is a formal donation, the records should not be touched for anything besides
office supplies. If the supplies would be for a formal donation, the records would not need to
be manipulated, and this would be recorded in a separate account. But since this does not
state that it is for a formal donation, I wouldn't touch the records. One thing that comes to
mind when thinking about if I did go against my better judgement would be that if I did
record the larger supplies adjustment like my coworker asked, and then forgot to account for
that adjustment in the following month, then that discrepancy would fall on me. Overall, it is
best to do the right thing and to be sure that you are not putting your job on the line for
someone else's actions. If the office keeps adjustment records, then we can definitely add
any adjustments accordingly. However, if there is extra supplies left over, then those need to
be added to the adjustment record also. So, no, I would not agree to record something that is
not.
Using the extra supplies for a non profit organization is a nice thing to do, unless we haven
something already organized with management where this was already set to happen,
everything needs to continue as it usually does.
Let's say I did make the adjustment, then the next month the "extra supplies" aren't ordered,
because we recorded them as extras. The whole situation would become a conflict, the extra
supplies are not there and then we still have to order them throwing off the plan or timeline
already in place. If a co-worker asked me to record a larger supplies adjustment than what is
leftover, I would immediately say no. Although, giving to a non-profit seems like a good
idea at the beginning, the way the co-worker is asking to allow this is wrong. If I were to
record the larger amount, I would be committing fraud and that breaks so many codes of
ethics, not to mention laws. I would go to my co-worker and politely tell them that I am
unable to complete this request for that very reason. If the co-worker insisted, I would then
escalate the situation to the head of the department to make sure that others are aware of
what is going on before I did anything. If, at that point, I received authorization, I would be
more inclined to make the adjustment. I would still have to enter it as a separate transaction,
so that the record shows what type of transaction it is and who authorized it. If I were
approached by a coworker who asked me to record a larger supplies adjustment so that they
could give them to a nonprofit, I would say no. while donating school supplies to a charity
seems like a good deed at first glance, it would require me to commit fraud to do so in the
manner my coworker suggested, which breaks the code of ethics. Rather than recording a
larger supplies adjustment, I would suggest to my coworker that they donate supplies to the
nonprofit out of their own pocket. While my coworker likey had positive intentions
regarding the donation, this is not a justification to commit fraud- especially at work. It
would be an uncomfortable situation, but I would report my coworker's actions to my
employer because it is likely that my coworker has tried this before and doesn't realize the
significance of his or her actions. It is important to hold everyone accountable to avoid the
same situation from reoccurring. No matter how "justified" ones reasoning is, fraud is still
fraud. one needs to take a personal moral judgement and an ethical stance on what would be
appropriate for both the co worker and yourself. I think even if there were extra quantity of
supplies leftover, it would not be a great idea to just speculate and think these will go to the
non-profit no matter how good the intention is. I am a firm believer on transparency
especially when you are loyal to an organization and are associated on professional terms.
The wise thing to do would be to get the attention of a peer or potentially your boss and ask
if this would be the correct usage of the supplies. If there are no immediate necessities for
additional supplies then that would be a clear shot answer from your higher ups that you can
use them at your discretion. I in my role cannot be dishonest with my work nor can i make
up illegitimate numbers even if there was no malice. As someone recording the data and
numbers they have to be accurate tallying not just the total supplies but the residual and
leftover as well. This is something despite it's intentions being harmless not something i
would jeopardize my career over. There is a beginning and an end amount of supplies on
hand. We can always make an adjust in entries when needed to update the supplies account
balance, this keeps the balance sheet supplies account from being overstated, but the most
important is to keep the current assets accurate. I Would not do what my co-worker ask me
to do, so the nonprofit organization can have the extra supplies, because it is unethical and it
would be cheating, stealing. Donations are always possible when they are done in the right
way, like approved by the company and/ or manager in an authorized transaction, in an
authorized charity event maybe? only then we would be authorized to do such adjustment
and adjust the supplies account, and not because any co-worker ask. In this case, I think the
co-worker is not doing the appropriate thing in the right procedure. If it is all about
donations, then I think he should have a meeting with teh company high management team
and discuss what to take to the non-profit organization for the donation. otherwise, telling
me to record larger amount of inventory is a sign of trying to steal from te company. I think
I should also have a meeting with my cp-worker and remind him about the best approach to
donation because he or she seems not t understand. It is not ethical to accept the request to
make such adjustments. As a worker, the company expects you to behave and portray the
best ethical behaviour to the company that won't compromise the desires of what the
company aims to achieve. The compnay has also entrusted you with its records of
invenmtories and therefore failing them and through missapropriation can lead to its
downfall. Therefore,. it would be ethical for you to inform your manager about the request
and try make the best decision abut donations. If my coworker was to approach me and ask
me to do such a thing like that I would say no. That is untrustworthy and unethical to do.
Asking your coworker to do that is basically asking your coworker to steal and that can of
course cost you your job. There is other ways to get your company to make donations, and
you can start by talking with your company and presenting to them the organization and why
you would like to donate to them and give the company the chance to say ye or nay. You
never want to steal from your company to give donations and I don’t think the organization
would like that themselves to know that you went behind your companies back and did
things that were unethical to donate to their organization. I know me personally I would
definitely say No if my coworker was to ask me to do such a thing. I have actually worked
with someone who asked me to do something that they know was not the right thing to do
and I told them no. There is one serious mistake of compromising the inventory of a
company in the name of helping the non-profit organization. The company expects perfect
documentation from me and here is the co-worker requesting me to record large amounts of
inventories. Therefore, it is certain that the co-worker will receive a straight no from me
because that is stealing from the company. If the co-worker seriously means to help in the
non-profit organization, then there is a need for him or her to talk to the company and
discuss the matter to do with donations but not stealing. I also tend to think that the non-
profit organization won't be happy to hear that the co-worker stole from the company for the
purpose of donations to them. Therefore, you may not know the main intentions of this co-
worker because his or her mind might be diversified beyond what you think. Maybe it is a
plan to steal for his own benefit from the company. Therefore, there is a need to take the
necessary precautions. I would not agree to the request from my co-worker. I would
however give an explanation to them. i would let he/she know it is unethical to agree to the
request. I would also let he/she know their heart is in the right place, just the incorrect way
of gaining supplies. I would also attempt to assist he/she the right way. I would ask if he/she
would like to partner up with me in gaining permission to donate to the nonprofit
organization. If we were unable to gain permission, I would go outside the company. I am a
humanitarian and I believe in human kindness. There are several hundred resources in the
communities from other agencies that normal civilians could benefit from. I would assist
he/she in researching, contacting, and hopefully gaining the supplies. At the very least,
he/she would see that I am willing to help out as much as I possibly can, just the right way.
If another employee were to approach me, asking me to alter the amount that is entered
instead of the correct amount then my response would be a straight "No". Now I understand
that my Co-Worker may have been trying to do something nice for another Non-Profit
Organization, however what they have asked is considered stealing from the company and I
would not want to put my job at jeopardy. I would explain to the individual that what they
suggested is not the right way to do it. You could simply ask permission, everyone tries to
do things on their own and not ask for a favor from the company. You could create a
presentation and present an idea to help other Non-Profit Organizations in the area with
supplies that is not needed or if there is too much supplies ask to put one or two to the side
for the other organizations. It is hard for Non-profits to stay afloat being that the only
supplies they have are donated, which is another great way to support the others. The
supplies adjustment records the office supplies used for the month. A co-worker asks you to
record a larger supplies adjustment compared to what is leftover so the extra supplies can be
used at a nonprofit organization.
Would you do as your co-worker requests so the nonprofit organization an have these extra
supplies?
Taking supplies is stealing from the company. I don’t consider the co-worker doing a good
deed because they are requesting me to steal and lie to help them do something unethical.
Just because the co-worker is stating that they are trying to provide help and support to the
nonprofit organization doesn’t constitute wrong doings. Nonprofit organizations are a help to
many communities, and they operate on donations and grants to provide many services
throughout the community. I am certain that the nonprofit organization would not think
kindly of someone stealing from one company to give to them.
I would have to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the co-worker concerning making
true and fair decisions in life and at work. I would also tell the co-worker that I am not the
person to ask to lie and steal from work. I would also remind the co-worker that it is unfair
to provide the company with false documentation concerning the inventory. I would tell the
co-worker if they are serious about helping the nonprofit organization why not talk to their
manager or supervisor about donating any extra supplies.
